Category: #coffee

#coffee, #lifestyle, #thoughts

coffee shops: a list

ronellegreen

here are my recommendations for a good coffee experience in DC. howard people, this is especially for you – everything’s pretty close by.

harrar coffee & roastery – pleasant service, wide selection of blends available.

sankofa cafe, books and videos – ethiopian, lovely decor, great sense of community, AMAZING coffee, great food and smoothies.

love and faith cafe – delightful, light-hearted, lovely quotes on every table. awesome nitrogen ice cream and paninis.

compass coffee – world class cold brew, kinda gentrification-y but we can let this one slide.

qualia coffeehouse – great sense of community, okay coffee, very gentrification-y but with a cute outdoor vibe if you like street-side sitting.

the coffee bar, DC – lovely setup, sweet people, beautiful outdoor seating.

colony club – ping pong table upstairs, switches to a bar at 5, live jazz at night very often.

florida ave grill – authentic diner vibe, rich DC history, amazing food, and simple but very good coffee.

calabash teahouse – beautifully eccentric setup, incredible sense of community and love, great people and service, strictly vegetarian/vegan food options, nourishing and natural teas and they draw cute doodles on the lids of your coffee cups. jamaican themed and inspired, so i’m a little biased here.

 

#coffee, #thoughts

poem: in my hands

ronellegreen

my grandma died before I was born from breast cancer, and left behind a diary chock full of detailed descriptions of her journey. i got to know her through that diary, i know her because of that diary. in it, she described what going through chemo would have done to her, and ultimately her decision to bypass invasive treatment and go whenever the time came for her to. she inspired the following poem, because i want all my readers to remember that your loved ones get to decide how they fight their battles – and one way of fighting is never more “noble” than another. the choice is always in their hands. 

 

i’m not losing my hair for this.

i’m not starting a gofundme for this.

 

i’m not dying for this either;

i’m living for it. fighting with it.

 

so that when I lose,

because I will lose…

you all can light candles & let sky lanterns

fly

saying I was a warrior

and making yourselves feel better

for what was my struggle

and my reality.

you want me to lose my hair & die

a heaped pile of chalky bones,

flaky skin,

“get treatment”

“fight it”

no.

I want to fight it looking like myself.

feeling like myself.

I want to fight it in my essence of the word:

and that is to live with it,

as if it is only

an annoying tenant in

the apartment that I am landlady for.

and not some life altering,

hospital bed-filling,

bouquet-buying,

balloon-blowing,

go-to-Costco-to-buy-cases-of-food-drinks-ing,

important,

thing.

let me fight it the way I want;

like with warm coffee in my hands,

on a balcony,

overlooking a park,

where kids get to squeal and play.

you get up, get out…

and let me fight this the way

I want.

and don’t you dare have a problem with it.

because I’ve lived, & this is living

to me.

the coffee in my hands might still be warm when the fight ends,

but all is well, I am well.

#coffee, #lifestyle, #tips&tricks

coffee, tea. coffee me

ronellegreen

play this song.

now, learn how to make coffee not taste as bitter as a villain’s soul from someone whose soul would probably taste like unicorn droppings (that’s me)

so first, unthink everything you think about coffee unless you think only good things. it is not bitter, it is not gross, and it is not coffee anymore if you’ve drowned it in sweetened, steamed milk and five cans of whipped cream. then, get yourself some quality grounds. instant is not a thing. if you see instant coffee, you should instantly look the other way. head to a grocery store near you, preferably somewhere that reeks of gentrification and is pretentious and organic – gentrifiers love coffee. pick up anything that says it was grown on high land. the higher up coffee is grown, is the higher the quality. the lower it is grown, is the more bitter, flat and plain the taste will be. your neighbourhood coffeeshop will tell you that’s not true, but that’s because their measly supply chain cannot handle purchasing quality beans, grown in often inaccessible highlands across the world.

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brace for bias –

jamaican blue mountain coffee is so great that it’s sinful to experience. that’s because of how high up it is grown, and all the love and culture and ancient history that is in every bean. if you can get your hands on any brand of coffee grown in the blue mountains of jamaica, you’re already winning. if not, you can grab some freshly ground arabica, roast of any sort, from trader joe’s or wherever, or anything else that was grown right. look for the words “fair trade” on the packaging. where you don’t see those words, there is likely a painfully underpaid coffee grower in a developing country across the ocean somewhere. if it’s fair trade, then at least we know that coffee was grown to standards worthy of respect and starting your beautiful mornings off with – don’t start your morning off with a steaming cup of corruption and oppression of farmers, please.

next up, choose your method to the madness. let’s be ambitious and avoid percolators. percolators drip hot water through the grounds, and don’t allow for the flavours to truly come out in a balanced, tasty way. invest in a french press, a chemex, or just some sturdy filters and a giant mug if you want to be handy. how the chemex or giant mug + filters would work is: you put your quality grounds in the filter, then pour hot water into the grounds directly. for the water, boil it then let rest for 15 seconds to achieve ideal coffee making heat. pouring over the hot water will activate the grounds, releasing the oils, aroma and bitter acidity at first, and then allowing rounded tasting fresh coffee to seep through the filter and into the mug (or base of the chemex). for the french press: preheat the carafe of the press by pouring hot water into it and letting it rest for 30 seconds. this keeps your brew at optimum temperature and taste. empty that water. put your grounds into the french press, pour just enough hot water into the press to bring some grounds to a float, then stir for 40 seconds to a minute to release the pungent acidity we talked about before. top up with more hot water, seal the plunger to the surface level of your brewing coffee and set a timer for 4 minutes. after that’s up, sink your plunger, pour your cup, drink your coffee, and have spasms of pleasure.

when you’ve made your bomb ass cup of joe, listen to this playlist and pretend to be a sexy barista. let me know what you think about your newfound coffee making skills, and your newfound favourite songs (wink).

everbless,